Mahlangu uses natural pigments mixed with clay, soil and cow dung to paint directly on the exteriors of structures in her village. Rather than using stencils and tape to achieve lines and shapes, she paints by hand with chicken feathers and an array of different brushes. The artist also works with acrylic paints on canvas, which allows her to explore different scales and a broader colour palette.

Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, presented in the garden at Serpentine North, is the artist’s first public mural in the UK. Painted over sixteen wooden panels, the work depicts Ndebele shapes and patterns outlined with a black borders. The title of the work translates directly from Ndebele as ‘I am because you are’, emphasising the importance of communities and unity among humans and other living species.

Mahlangu’s work was first shown internationally in Paris at the seminal exhibition Les Magiciens de la Terre (Magicians of the World) in Grande Halle de la Villette in 1989. Since then, she has exhibited widely and created a large number of site-specific murals, in addition to ceramic pots, skateboards, trainers and other everyday objects. In 1991, she was the first woman invited to paint the BMW Art Car – a prestigious commission started in 1975 to create a one-of-a-kind car design using a variety of artistic techniques.

This mural is part of Serpentine’s Public Art programme, which this year features outdoor sculptures installed throughout Kensington Gardens: Gerhard Richter’s STRIP-TOWER, 2023 (until 20 October 2024) and Yayoi Kusama’s Pumpkin, 2024 (until 3 November 2024).

Source: Serpentine Galleries